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You can either be a prepper or a survivalist, and others can be both. A prepper is a person who thinks in advance to supply enough stock of things that help them survive in any disaster.
In other words, a prepper is someone who prepares for any disaster by stockpiling supplies and equipment.
On the other hand, a survivalist is someone who has mastered all the necessary skills to survive in any disaster.
They show more skills than supplies. These people train themselves to survive in any pandemic with the resources around them.
Preppers and survivalists choose to be self-reliant rather than relying on others in case of a disaster or a pandemic strike, unlike ordinary people who depend on other able people or the government for assistance.
Survivalists have a strong desire to survive any disaster that may come their way. These people do not have to live in fear of tomorrow since they are already planned and prepared for any bad scenarios.
An advantage of both preppers and survivalists is that they can survive an occurrence of a disaster.
The factors that can lead to both preppers and survivalists living through any event are stocked food and supplies, skills, short-term disasters like fire and diseases and geographical locations.
Preppers and survivalists always seem to have the same characteristics, but they have much more differences than similarities in the real sense.
Some of the ways you can use to differentiate between preppers and survivalists are;
Preppers Store Supply
Preppers focus more on storing supplies to help them survive through a pandemic that might occur. It would be easier to point out a prepper than a survivalist.
This is because you will find preppers’ houses stocked with a lot of stuff like food that they have kept for any occurrence of a pandemic. They mostly gather non-perishable goods, and this will help them live more comfortably even after the pandemic or disaster has struck.
Preppers are considered more serious since they prepare in advance and spend so much money in this process. There are those preppers that go to the extent of moving into new environments to avoid being affected by a disaster.
Preppers are willing to go the extra mile to ensure their survival. Survivalists prefer living in their surroundings using the available resources rather than moving into a different location.
Prepping is a Lifeline While Survivalism is a Lifestyle
Preppers stock food supplies and other resources to help them pass the hard times. Survivalists have basic skills that help them survive the hard times, and they are not left depending on others after a pandemic.
Preppers always hope that things will get better since their stock can run out any time in the middle of a disaster. Therefore, survivalism is a lifestyle because it is a skill already acquired and can’t change.
Survivalists Depend on Their Skills
Unlike the preppers, survivalists do not depend on the stocked goods and the comfort of having everything to survive. They rely on what is in hand in the time of a disaster.
They use their skills to continue with their everyday business to acquire what is present in the surrounding resources to survive.
Survivalists are more dependent on what is present at that particular time. These people can develop more options to create more room for survival.
Preppers Prefer Living as a Group While Survivalists Like Being On Their Own
This is another key difference between preppers and survivalists. According to survivalists, it is easier to live and grind alone than as a group.
Preppers believe that living as a group is of help because each will provide resources and goods, making them numerous.
Preppers believe that you share knowledge and ideas when you are in a group because there is always strength in number.
They choose to live around family members or several friends of workmates, while survivalists tend to live around a close friend or a few family members.
Survivalists believe that it is easier to afford goods or resources for fewer people. But all this does not necessarily mean that preppers would live all their life in a group.
Some instances make them be on their own or in a company of a few. On the other hand, you would meet survivalists in the company of many people doing some stuff together.
Survivalists vs Preppers
There are several differences between preppers and survivalists.
• Preppers prefer living as a group, while survivalists like being on their own. This is because preppers believe they would bring numerous goods and resources while survivalists believe it would be easier providing for fewer people hence like being on their own.
• Survivalists depend on their skills. These skills help them use the resources around them for survival in case of a pandemic strike.
• Preppers store supplies to use them when a pandemic arises.
• Prepping is a lifeline, while Survivalism is a lifestyle. Being a survivalist, you have that skill that can help you survive long while being a prepper; you depend on the stocked supplies hoping that things will get better.
I am an independent safety and survival expert and consultant. I have over 15+ years of experience working with corporations and individuals to help identify, remediate and prepare for threats and and disasters. I help clients understand risks and blog about my thoughts and techniques at DisasterShelters.net